Flower Shop
by A Lost Diadem
Summary: Mom loved flowers. That's why I am where I am: a flower shop in Lower Manhattan. Running this shop isn't how I thought my life would turn out, but that's okay... or at least I thought it was okay. I started to question every little thing about myself and my choices when he walked into my shop with his brother.
1. Chapter 1

My alarm clock went off quicker than I hoped it would. It was a feeling I knew I shared with many. On February 1st, I did not want to do anything but lay in my bed. The weather outside was cold and harsh winds blew against my window all night long. With my cat wrapped up by my feet, I felt relaxed. Feeling relaxed wasn't something I felt often so when I had those rare moments, I enjoyed every second.

Unfortunately that morning, I couldn't enjoy as many seconds as I wish I could enjoy. Work was calling my name.

I am Elena Gilbert. I live in a small, one bedroom apartment with Lynx. That's my cat. I owned a flower shop five blocks down named Mystic Flowers. It's a lame name, not very original, but there's a reason behind it. I swear.

As much as I wish I could call myself a city girl, I was not. I moved here when I was twenty-one years old, found a place to live, and opened up the shop. Before the big move to the "big apple", I lived in a small town called Mystic Falls. Now is the part where you connect the town name to the name of my shop.

Once I finally dragged myself out of bed, I went about my business to get ready. I showered, brushed my hair shortly after I got out, and then got my clothes out. I had a pot of coffee running so I could fill up my travel mug and I sat down to eat a bowl of cereal quickly. I finished breakfast and moved right back into the bathroom. Lynx followed me around as I went about my business like she usually did. It was a nice morning routine we had going.

My hair was dry after a few minutes of using my hair dryer then I moved to my bedroom to get dressed. Once I was all ready to go, I filled up Lynx's food bowl and water bowl. I gave her a kiss on the head and moved to slip into my peacoat. My favorite white scarf was wrapped around my neck and I slipped my gloves on. I grabbed my travel mug and was out the door shortly after.

It was only seven in the morning when I stepped out onto the city street, yet it was already buzzing with energy as people began to make their way to work. I smiled to myself and started my own trip to work. It was an easy ten-minute walk and we didn't open until eight, but I was always early. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, the beautiful scents coming from all of the flowers, and getting there allowed me to gather everything I would need through the day.

When I arrived at Mystic Flowers, I pulled the keys out of my pocket, unlocked the gate, and pushed it up. As I pushed the gate up, the door next to my shop opened up. Out came Mrs. Christakis with her broom like she always did.

Mr. and Mrs. Christakis lived in the apartment above the store right next to mine. They were an adorable couple, having been married for almost forty years. Every morning she would come out to sweep her small part of the sidewalk and we would talk for a little.

"Elena, my sweetheart," she greeted me in her sweet voice.

"Good morning, Mrs. Christakis," I smiled at her. "Aren't you ever going to make your husband sweep?"

She waved her hand and scoffed, "I can't get him out of bed until eight. I'd rather get it done myself."

I laughed as I pushed another key into the lock on the door. I looked over at her and said, "Valentine's Day is coming up! Make sure he gets you something nice! If he doesn't, I'll have a long talk with him."

She gave me thumbs up and we both chuckled. I said that I would talk to her later before pushing the door open. I locked it behind me so no one would walk in before we opened and flipped the lights on. I smiled when I saw all of the flowers and headed to my small office in the back.

On my way to the back, I passed the large photo of my beloved Mother and Father that I had hanging up in the front. I pressed my fingertips to my lips gently, then raised my fingertips to the glass and touched it gently. "Good morning, you two," I whispered. I remained where I stood, gazing at the photo for a bit. I could feel a lump form in my throat and coughed quickly to get rid of it, continuing my way to the office.

I hung my things up and set everything down on my desk. I took a sip of my coffee before moving into the back room we had. Here was where the magic happened. We put together all of our floral arrangements and even made various chocolate goodies for special occasions. There was a rainbow of ribbons hanging on the wall, storage bins holding other things such as various wrapping papers in all different colors and patterns were placed all around. In the middle of the room was a square wooden table where we all sat around as we worked on arrangements. It was a cute set up that we had going on.

My morning routine went as followed: I straightened up a bit here and there. If something seemed like it was out of place, I fixed it until I felt better. After, I'd move back to my office to check whether or not any deliveries were being made that day. If so, the order receipt would be hung up on the bulletin board. I would go over all orders that had to be filled, making sure ones that were supposed to be picked up that day were ready to go. If it wasn't ready to go, I made it ready. Once that was done, I moved out to the front and checked that everything was okay. At that point, my two other employees joined me: my best friend, Bonnie Bennett, and my Aunt, Jenna Sommers.

I heard the door being unlocked and turned my head. Perfectly on time, both of them strolled in. Jenna held her keys in her hand, her bag slung over her shoulder and a breakfast sandwich in her bag.

"Good morning, Elena," Jenna yawned. She moved over and kissed me on the cheek quickly before heading straight to the back.

I laughed a little then waved at Bonnie. "Good morning," I said.

"Elena you really need to come in at a normal hour," Bonnie shook her head slowly at me. I don't know how you do it."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm used to it. Get settled then count the registers, okay?"

Bonnie nodded and I moved over to the door. Right next to it was a switch that turned on our "Open" sign. I kept my eyes on the clock and once it hit eight o' clock, I flipped the switch on. It was time to begin our day.

Jenna came in, chewing on her sandwich, and asked once she was done, "What's on the agenda today, boss lady?"

"Jenna, you don't have to call me boss lady. I'm your niece," I laughed a little. I moved over behind the counter and leaned on it for a moment. "February 1st. It's a big month for us. I want to get started on all of our Valentine's Day arrangements so we can start laying them out. I know we already have a few, but it's fourteen days away and I want it to be a good holiday for us."

"Any plans for Valentine's Day?" she asked me before taking another bite of her sandwich.

"It's called work."

Jenna rolled her eyes at me, "You know what I meant."

"Yes I did. Those are the only plans I have. I'm going to work then go home and enjoy a nice night with Lynx."

"Or you could enjoy a nice night with a man," Bonnie shrugged with a grin on her face.

"Too busy for that," I shook my head and quickly changed the subjects. "I bought new molds for lollipops! They're adorable. I'll bring them out and show you."

They went with the change of subject and did not bring up any personal Valentine's Day plans. We worked in unison as we always did. Customers came in and out at a normal pace, picking up various things and placing orders for Valentine's Day. When Bonnie called me out for some extra help, I stopped working on arrangements for a bit and moved to the front of the store. There was a decent sized crowd and I put a smile on my face, jumping right in to help.

Thirty minutes later and I was still helping when a man threw the door open. Everyone's head turned and we all could tell he was embarrassed about how he entered. His green eyes darted to the floor and he adjusted his suit, shaking his head slightly before getting on line. Someone asked if he was okay and he went to nod, but shook his head suddenly.

"Do you need help with anything, sir?" I asked him.

He darted to the counter once he was acknowledged and I couldn't help but admire his features for a moment.

"I messed up. Big time," he said.

I took a deep breath and nodded my head slowly. He had a special person in his life. I had heard those words many times and knew exactly what it meant. "How bad?" I asked.

"On a scale of one to ten, it's a twenty," he frowned.

The door swung open again and a voice filled the room, dripping with sarcasm. "Oh come on, Stefan. It's not like it's going to be the last time. Get over it. Get her a damn rose and let's get back to work."

I looked over the man's shoulder and felt the wind get knocked out of me. I was staring at the most attractive man I had ever laid eyes on and by the way he was acting, he knew he was attractive. He had raven colored hair that looked so amazing, it had my fingers aching to run through it. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue that had my heart racing and oh how sinful he looked in a suit.

"Damon," the man in front of me snapped. I shook my head and looked back at the man I was supposed to be helping. He turned to look at me, his voice soft again, "Please help. My fiancé had arranged a dinner for us, but I'm a lawyer and got completely wrapped up in the case and-"

"And he fell asleep at the office after overworking himself and now his fiancé is out for his blood," the other man spoke up, cutting into the story.

I cleared my throat and looked back at the man. "Sir please let me speak to your friend," I said, my voice shaking slightly. Damn it, Elena. You're an adult, not a teenager. I turned to the man, who I just assumed was his friend, and gave him a soft smile. "Don't worry. We'll get you set up and she'll forgive you in seconds. Jenna?"

My Aunt turned and looked at me, nodding her head. "I got this," she said. She looked at the man and asked him for his name.

"Stefan. Stefan Salvatore," he said.

She took him off to the side and began speaking to him as I went back to helping the other customers. I tried my very best to keep my eyes off of the man with blue eyes, knowing it'd be unprofessional and creepy if I openly gawked at him.

In the process of ringing up one of the customers, the blue eyed angel came sliding up to the counter, leaning right next to me, and whispered, "So how much will it take to stop my darling future sister-in-law from maiming my baby brother?"

Baby brother? I wanted to call him a liar. The two looked nothing alike, but I shook my head. "A large bouquet of flowers, an adorable teddy bear along with some candy," I answered him. Thankfully, my voice was steady. Good job, Elena.

"Hmm…" he hummed a little too close to my ear. I swallowed and counted the change, handing it to the customer and gave them a smile as I wished them a good day.

"And how much will it take to get you out for a night of fun?" he smirked at me.

I snapped my head in his direction, my eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You do have ears," he chuckled.

"Oh please," I scoffed. "Do you have anything better to do than stand here, breathing heavily on me, and asking me out for a "night of fun" in a disgusting way?" I made quotation marks with my fingers as I looked at him.

"Sweetheart, you enjoyed me breathing heavily on you. My eyes were directly on your arms and I saw goose bumps."

How the hell did he see those? I rolled my eyes and pretending to be anything but affected by his words. "I was disgusted."

"Sure you were," he continued to smirk.

"You are such a pig," I glared at him.

"Tell me something I don't know, sweetheart," he continued to smirk and chuckle, causing me to grow frustrated.

"Bonnie I'm going to the back again. Call me if you need anymore help," I said. I turned my back, having had enough of the arrogant man whose name already escaped my mind. His voice may have been dripping with sex, he may have looked like he belonged in a movie dressed as good as he was, but that attitude? Disgusting.

"Nice meeting you, sweetheart!" I heard him shout at me, drawling out the word 'sweetheart'. I ignored him and disappeared into the back, throwing myself back into working on arrangements. I continued for a long time, cutting stems and wrapping up bouquets, but as much as I worked I could not get those blue eyes out of my mind. How frustrating.

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I'm back! Hello everyone. This idea popped into my head at a very random moment and I had to start it as soon as possible. I am very excited to be writing again. I had no ideas for a long time and it was beyond frustrating. I hope you all enjoy this story and I'm so excited to share it with you guys. Let me know what you think in a review! xoxo


	2. Chapter 2

Another day of work had ended and we were one day closer to Valentine's Day. It was now February 4th. Ten days left. The crowds were getting larger and orders were starting to pile up.

Jenna, Bonnie, and I were gathered in the back after we had closed the shop for the night. A lot of orders had been placed that night and we wanted to make sure everything was organized.

"That Salvatore guy called and placed an order," Jenna slipped a paper over to me.

I furrowed my eyebrows, the name not ringing a bell. I meet so many people throughout the days, I only remember your name if I know you well.

Bonnie could see I was confused and explained, "He was the one who came in freaking out about his fiancé. Jenna helped him. Remember?"

"Oh!" I shouted. That one. The one with the arrogant brother who I could not stop thinking about. I nodded my head and looked over the order slip. "An order of two dozen white lilies and a box of chocolate dipped strawberries," I read it out.

"He seemed much calmer on the phone this time," Jenna laughed as she took the paper back. "He said that everything went well with his fiancé and she was back to her normal self."

"Good," I smiled. "I like hearing those things."

"What are the chances of him bringing that hot brother along when he comes to pick them up?" Jenna wiggled her eyebrows at us with a grin.

"Jenna, really?" I looked at her with a disgusted expression.

"What? You didn't think he was hot?"

"I thought he was an asshole," Bonnie said.

"I agree with that," I nodded my head.

"Still hot," Jenna shrugged.

I shook my head, trying to get rid of all thoughts about how hot he was out of my head and cleared my throat. I spoke up about other orders and for the next fifteen minutes, we went over the rest of them.

Jenna and Bonnie gathered their things, bidding their goodnights to me. After they left, I locked the door behind them and sighed. My night of work was nowhere near done.

I leant against the door for a moment, my eyes set on the portrait of my Mom and Dad. I lost track of how long I stood there. Memories of what had happened began to flood my brain, the familiar noise of rushing water running through my ears. I gasped when I felt like I couldn't breathe and shook my head. I pushed myself off of the door and headed into my office. It was time for business.

I always get anxious at the beginning of a new month. With a new month comes my long nights of making sure the business isn't going under. I need to make sure everything is paid for and that were are making enough money to keep us where we were. I kept to myself when it came to these things, very rarely involving Jenna and Bonnie. I knew I would worry them too much and I've done that enough in my lifetime.

I went over every little thing carefully and thoroughly, sometimes checking things over and over to make sure I made no mistakes. An hour and a half later, I sat with my head in my hands and my eyes closed. We didn't make as much as we should have, as much as we needed to make. If February turned out to be a bust just like January did, I knew this business and myself would be in deep trouble.

"Shit," I whispered to myself. I felt my eyes fill with tears and bit my lip hard to keep them from falling.

I heard a knock coming from the front and quickly wiped my eyes. It was a probably someone who thought I was open because I left the lights on. I stepped out of my office but stopped when I saw Jenna. She gave me a small smile and I walked over to the door to let her in.

"What are you doing? I thought you were heading home," I said to her. I let the door close behind her, watching as she shrugged.

"I could ask you the same thing. We closed almost two hours ago, Elena," she looked at me.

"I was going over some paperwork. You know I hate bringing my work home because then it'll never get done," I explained what I was doing briefly.

"Is everything okay?" Jenna asked. She looked at me with soft eyes and I could tell she was worried. The guilt settled in my stomach and I knew I couldn't tell her the truth.

"Yes!" I gave her a smile. "All is well as usual."

"Mhm," she nodded her head. "So why do you look like you've been crying?"

"I haven't been crying," I laughed a little as I shook my head.

"Elena you are my niece. I have seen you cry in your lifetime and I know what you look like when you cry or have cried."

"I wasn't crying, Jenna. I'm getting a little cold. That is why my nose is red, why my eyes look a little swollen, and why my cheeks are flushed," I listed off the reasons that she always gave me when she said she knew if I was crying.

She stayed quiet for a moment, her eyes set on me. I shifted a little, feeling awkward under her intense look.

"I think I should hook you up with someone," Jenna said out of nowhere.

"Jenna I don't want to be 'hooked up' with anyone. I don't want to go on dates. I don't want a boyfriend. I have you, Jeremy, Bonnie, and I have my business. That is all I need in my life. And Lynx," I added my cat at the last minute because I would be five times more miserable in life without that adorable creature.

"Elena you haven't had a boyfriend in years. Do you realize how long it's been?"

"The summer before my junior year of high school. I know, Jenna."

"Yeah and now you're twenty four! That's years!"

I felt my throat tighten when she continued to talk about how I needed to get back in the dating scene. It got worse when she brought up my last boyfriend, Matt Donovan. It got even worse when she brought up the night that I had broken up with him.

"Jenna," I snapped and cut her off before she could continue anymore. "I get it. I need to date people. You and Bonnie say the same thing and I get it. What you two need to get is that it is not easy for me and it probably will never be easy. Stop talking about that night. Just stop."

Jenna grew quiet and I glanced up at her for a second. Her eyes were now filled with sadness. She went to apologize and I gave her a tight smile. "It's fine," I said. "You should get home. I'm heading out shortly."

"Yeah," she whispered. She moved over and kissed my head gently. "I love you, Elena. You know that. You and Jeremy mean the world to me."

I nodded my head and stayed quiet.

"I will see you tomorrow morning. Get some sleep, Elena," Jenna sighed when I didn't respond. She left the shop, the door closing behind her and I stayed in the spot where I was standing. I let a few tears fall, the conversation we had replaying through my mind. Memories flashed before my eyes and I moved to my office to calm down.

I began to put everything away. I had enough for the night. I slid my jacket on and made sure I had everything before shutting the lights off in my office. I stepped out and went to go close the lights in the back room. I turned, walking towards the front. I put my keys down on the counter but they slid and fell behind it. I groaned and walked behind the counter to pick them up.

"It's a little late for you to be open, isn't it?'

I screamed loudly and jumped up when I heard a voice. My heart began to race instantly and the owner of the voice started to laugh loudly.

It was that blue eyed, arrogant asshole from the other day.

"Are you crazy!?" I screamed at him.

He continued to laugh, his head thrown back at him. I was beginning to grow worried. Fear was settling into my stomach. Why was he here? What did he want? Oh gosh. What if he was going to kill me?

"Good question," he finally answered me. "But I am pretty sure that I am not crazy."

"Then why the hell are you standing in the middle of my shop trying to give me a heart attack? And how did you get in here?"

"Well you see, sweetheart…" he smirked. "I was walking along the street, minding my own business, and I just so happened to pass your dainty little shop. I saw that the lights were on and that you were here, so I decided to grace you with my presence. It helped that the door was unlocked."

Shit. I forgot to lock it after Jenna left.

"You can leave now," I said with a shaky voice.

"What? Why? Not happy to see me?" he tilted his head to the side.

"No. Not at all," I shook my head.

"You know I never got your name," he stood up straight and completely ignored what I had said. "Care to tell me so I can put a name to your beautiful face?"

"Get out of my shop!"

"Oh come on," he groaned. "Here. I'll start. My name is Damon Salvatore."

Damon Salvatore. Even his name was great. I bit my lower lip hard.

"Now is the part where you introduce yourself," Damon continued to smirk and held his hand out.

"Why? So you can know my name before you kill me or rob me?" I stuttered on my words.

He started to laugh again and shook his head. "You're funny," he pointed at me. "But no. I'm not here to kill you or rob you. I'm not that much of an asshole."

"So why are you here?"

"To see you, of course," he gave me a smile and I put my hands on the counter to stop myself from falling. His smile was amazing.

"You saw me," I cleared my throat. "You can leave now."

"Not until I get your name."

"If I tell you my name, will you leave me alone?"

"Of course," Damon said.

"It's Elena," I swallowed.

"Elena…"

My name fell from his lips, practically rolling off of his tongue. I've never heard someone my name in a way that had my pressing my legs together. My grip on the counter tightened.

"Well Elena," he drawled my name out. I swear he did it on purpose. "Why don't you join me for dinner? I can tell you didn't eat and neither did I."

"How can you tell?" I asked him.

Damon shrugged, "I just can. So are you in or are you going to turn me down again?"

"Gee, Damon, you sound like I bruised your ego," I grinned a little.

"My ego? Bruised? Never," he grinned back.

"Well it's a no," I said. "I have to get back home."

"Then let me walk you home," he continued to talk.

"No," I said abruptly. I realized how rude I sounded and I sighed, "I'm tired. I can walk home by myself. I'm a big girl."

Damon nodded his head shortly. "Well then," he cleared his throat and stood up straight. "I'll see you around Elena. Make sure you eat when you get home."

He said no more words and walked out of the shop. My eyes stayed on his retreating back as he did and a small part of me had hoped he would turn to look at me, but he didn't. That same small part soon felt disappointed when he disappeared from my view. I shook my head and grabbed my keys, walking out of my shop. I shut everything off and locked up, pulling the gate down. I stood still, swallowing, knowing I shouldn't check to see if he was still on the street.

"Don't do it, Elena.." I whispered to myself.

Surprisingly so, I didn't. Instead I turned the opposite way and started my walk home. As I walked home, I could feel my stomach turn. I was starving. I knew I should've accepted his dinner offer and gone with him, but I didn't. At this point, I'm not really sure why I didn't. I mentally prepared myself for a night of no sleep. I knew that after seeing how bad we did last month, my talk with Jenna, and the visit from Damon that my brain would be running full speed ahead. I could feel the dread settle into my stomach knowing I would have no other choice but to deal with it and pretend like I was in perfect shape for tomorrow.

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Another chapter up! I'm so happy with the response this story has gotten so far. Please keep reviewing! I love hearing back from you guys. :)


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